


Drawing with Fire

by TheCoffeeMonster



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Bad Puns, F/F, F/M, Fluff, I have no idea what I'm doing, I will update the tags if I think of something else, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Racism, Reader is an artist, Romance, Slow Burn, everyone will appear at some point, first fic, haha get it? No?, how do you tag??, or is it specism?, this is Undertale on the surface so
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-23 07:22:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14327460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCoffeeMonster/pseuds/TheCoffeeMonster
Summary: You are an artist with a dream of one day becoming a famous children's book illustrator. You moved to Ebott four years ago after graduating. With the help of your best friend (and now roommate) Tony, you set up a small business for yourself, a shop/studio, where you could sell your work and teach anyone, who wants to dive into the world of art. You like the way you live and wouldn't change anything in it.So what are you supposed to do, when you find yourself in a bar your bestie and his coworker dragged you to and, most importantly, how do you deal with this tight feeling in your chest every time you look at the bartender?





	1. There’s always time for DRAMA!

**Author's Note:**

> So... This is my first fic on this website.. Please be gentle?  
> Haha, ok anyway, my english is not the best (it's the third language I've learned), so please tell me if I made a mistake somewhere, so I can fix it!  
> As for the story, I just wanted to write a fluffy, slice-of-life Grillby/reader fic, and this idea has been sitting in my mind for a while. Maybe now that I'm actually posting it, it'll go somewhere...  
> Anyways, hope you enjoy, feel free to give me some feedback in the comments!

*Beep beep beep beep*  
  
You groan at the offending noise and turn around to deal with it's source. No matter how much sleep you got, waking up is always a pain to you. You reach a hand over to your nightstand and turn off the alarm. Ah, peace and quiet. Letting out a sigh, you push yourself out of the warmth of your comfy bed and instantly regret it. It was the middle of November, but winter had apparently decided to come early this year. You were never really a fan of the cold weather, and would much rather stay inside of the apartment the entire day, but you had work to do. Maybe you could visit your favourite bakery on the way to your studio? The pastries always managed to warm you up during the cold.  
  
With that in mind, you make your way to the bathroom. Nothing better than a warm shower in the morning. Fifteen minutes later and you feel much more awake and ready to tackle the day. After trying and failing to force your hair to cooperate, you brush it one last time and return to your bedroom. Opening your closet, you decide what to wear for the day. You settle on a warm black turtleneck sweater, a pair of dark jeans and your favourite black leather combat boots. Checking yourself out in the mirror you confirm that yes, you look great. You haven’t done your makeup yet, but your overall appearance is pretty badass, if you’re being honest with yourself. The way your hair falls over your shoulders and on your back reminds you of a cape. The jeans you chose are skinny enough to elegantly hug your curves, but they aren’t uncomfortable. And the boots give you a sense of power and comfort. All in all you feel rather confident in your outfit. Thinking for a second, you grab a simple black beanie from the top of your dresser and put it on. There, perfect! On that note you leave your room and head to the main living area. 

As soon as you reach the hallway between the rooms, a heavenly smell of pancakes hits your nose. Your stomach growls and you suddenly feel very hungry and silently thank Tony for existing. He had officially banned you from cooking almost as soon as you moved in, but honestly? You’re not even slightly mad or disappointed with his decision. It was for the better. For your, Tony's, the apartment’s and the firefighters’ good, so to say. And besides, having someone cook amazing food for you alway a plus! Speaking of your roommate, you spot him relaxing on the couch in the living room watching Breaking Bad. He notices you in the middle of stuffing his mouth full of pancakes and, after agonisingly slowly chewing and swallowing his food, smiles and lazily waves at you.  
  
"Ah, there's my favourite goth gal! Got enough of that beauty sleep?" He jokingly mocks. "Breakfast on the dining table if you want some"  
  
"Mhm, morning to you to." You roll your eyes at his offended expression as you pretend to ignore him and try to stifle a laugh as he gasps at you dramatically. "And, yeah, food sounds nice."  
  
He is quick to recover from his "shock" and waves you off, mirroring your eye-roll.  
"Sure, sure, go grab some and get your butt over here. I've got a proposition that you won't be able to decline! Every SECOND is important!" He points at you with his fork.  
  
You chuckle and enter the kitchen. And sure enough, your plate of pancakes is sitting on the table, ready to be eaten. You smile to yourself. You met Tony on your first year of the university and the two of you had been inseparable since. You'd seen each other at your best and worst, and always have each other's backs. He was the one to encourage you to set up an art studio and even helped to bring the idea to life! You really couldn't ask for a better friend.  
  
You take the plate and make your way back to the couch. Before you even had a chance to sit, Tony tears the plate from your hands, sets it on the coffee table and grabs your shoulders, looking at you expectantly. You sigh and give in with a huff. So much for a quiet morning.  
    
"Oh, what is it that I so urgently have to know that I can't even start eating my breakfast?" You drawl, voice full of sarcasm, and bring the back of your hand to your forehead to exaggerate your “distress”.  
  
"Eh, good enough" he lets go of you and sits back down on the couch. You take your food and sit beside him.  
"So, remember my co-worker Undyne? The one from the gym?"  
  
"How could I forget when you are constantly talking about her. If I didn't know better, I'd think you got yourself a crush."  You chuckle and take a bite of a pancake. Wow, these are great! You find yourself thinking how convenient it is to have a best friend that can cook. Speaking of, Tony's face takes on a shade of pink at your comment and he hurries to continue.  
  
"ANYWAY, she invited me to hang out after work with her and her _girlfriend_ ” he makes an emphasis on the word,

“And I asked if my bestie, aka you, could come with. So now you kinda have to.." He trails off sheepishly. You raise an eyebrow.  
  
"And why exactly do I have to?" You ask, not in the mood for any spontaneous adventures or hangouts.    
  
"Oh, c'mon, be a pal! You KNOW how I get around people I hardly know!"

“But you DO know them!” You argue. And then his eyes meet your own.

...How an adult can manage puppy eyes is beyond you, but you just can't say no to that face. Urgh, your soft spot for cute things is going to get you in trouble one of these days.

"Okay, jeez, I'll go with you. But you owe me a drink after this" You sigh, resigning yourself to your fate.

Your roommate's eyes light up at your agreement.  
"Yes! Thank you, it'll be fun! And we are going to the bar, so I'll get you a drink there" You can feel excitement radiating off of him in waves.

"Mhm, that works" You reply, taking the last bite of your breakfast and standing up from the couch. On your way back to the kitchen you sigh. Just what have you gotten yourself into? Tony has also got up and is currently putting on his coat. Ready to leave he turns to you.  
  
"I guess I'll see ya after work? Bye, gothy!" He is surprisingly good at stifling his laughter. You don't miss a beat.  
  
"Sure. Don't slip and fall on the way!” You drawl, fake concern lasing your voice

”Otherwise there would be no one to make me food and I'm probably gonna starve to death. And that would be a tragedy, don't you think?" Your only answer is the slamming of the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love Tony, the adorable drama queen. Wonder how he and Metts gonna get along. Also, the reader is a bit based on me, so that’s why she doesn’t like cold and wears all black!


	2. Spiderwebs and Punning Goats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! This one is, like, twice the size of the first one. Consider the first chapter a pilot of sorts. 
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos on the first chapter, they motivated me a lot! 
> 
> If you see some mistakes, please tell me so I can fix them, thanks!

Left alone in the apartment after your friend took off for work, you had some time to spare before you had to leave too. Being your own boss meant that you could make your schedule however you liked it. Which left most of your mornings free. You usually spend the time laying on the couch, doing chores, if there were some left or catching up with the latest news on social media. 

Today, though, your thoughts were filled with nervousness, so much so, that you almost dropped a plate while doing the dishes. And the weird part is that you’re not really sure why. You  _ are _ an introvert, yes, but there should be no reason for you to get so anxious over a simple hangout. Looking around the living room and deciding that there was nothing else to do, you go back to the bathroom.

There you turn the water on and, carefully, so you won’t mess up your hair, splash your face with cold water. After drying it, you start doing your makeup. You always liked the process and often experimented with different looks, Tony usually being the one judging your work.

 You strike a few silly poses at yourself in the mirror after you’re done, clean up and check the time. You still have an hour before opening, but you decide to head out anyway. On your way out you grab your small backpack from the dresser and put your phone in the front pocket. At the front door you put your jacket on and exit the apartment, locking it behind you.

When choosing the place to move in, you and Tony were lucky enough to find the perfect spot. The apartment building was not in the centre of Ebott, but was close enough to many of the major streets in the city. On your walk to your studio you passed a park, a lot of cafes and shops, managed by humans and monsters alike. Oh, right! Apparently monsters were real? And they had magic!

The news of the monsters being freed from under the famous mountain the city was built on were all over, well, The News and social media a year and a half ago. Heated debates on whether the discovery was for the good or for the bad also actively took place all over the country and, some time later, the most of the world. It was so shocking that at first you didn’t even believe it, chalking it up to some late April the 1st prank.

But things settled surprisingly fast. With the help of a child  _ (a child!) _ ambassador, monsters proved themselves harmless and quickly gained a lot of supporters. Everything turned out for the better in the end.

Ashamed as you were to admit it, but you had also feared the monsters at first. Though, despite being slightly wary of them, you decided to keep an open mind and see what would happen. You were never happier to admit how wrong you were. Monsters turned out to be the sweetest people you’ve ever met! You even made a few friends, which is pretty great, all things considered.

Speaking of your monster friends. While lost in your thoughts, you didn’t even notice approaching a very familiar bakery. It was a small building, brick walls painted in different shades of lavender, purple and violet. The curtains behind the windows were black and had intricate designs on them, all in purple lace. In the front of the cafe a lot of small round tables and matching chairs in similar style were placed. Right above the entrance, black glass double doors with spiderweb designs, hung a lilac sign. On it in elegant cursive was the name of the establishment:

_ “Muffet’s Bakery”  _  And in smaller letters was the moto:

_ “Come eat food made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders!” _

A smile tugs at your lips as you enter without any hesitation, a quiet jingle of the bell above the doors resonating in the almost empty room. The interior was decorated in the same way as the outside of the cafe, same blacks and purples greeting you warmly as you make your way to the counter. The aren’t many people sitting at the tables right now, considering that the breakfast rush is over and there are still a few hours left before lunchtime.

“Good morning, deary~! How are you today?” A familiar sing-songy voice greets you. You look up from where you were checking your phone and smile at the monster approaching you.

“Morning Muffet. I’m pretty good actually, though it’s a little bit too chilly for my liking. What ‘bout you?” You pocket your phone and give the spider woman your full attention.

Muffets black eyes twinkle in the low light of the bakery, her smile stretching into a more friendly one as she relaxes. Two of her arms settle on the counter as she leans over it.

“Oh, deary, the business here is going wonderfully! Although some humans are still afraid to come in...” She trails off with a slight frown.

“Well, I’m a human and I’m practically a regular here. Just give them time, they’ll come around eventually.” You shrug and smile.

“Hmm, maybe. But, well! Aside from that, how can I help you deary~?” She shoos some spiders of the counter to get your order.

“Well, I’ve been meaning to try that new strawberry cheesecake you have over there.” You gesture in the general direction of the dessert section.

“Oh, and my usual coffee, please.”

Muffet nods and gestures for you to take a seat, while she prepares your order. So you do just that. You sit down at one of the tables near the window and look outside at the streets, lost in thought. The nervousness you felt in the morning almost disappeared, probably replaced by the calmness of the bakery.

“You look troubled, deary. Is everything alright?” There’s a hint of concern in Muffet’s voice. She sets your order on the table and pointedly looks at you, waiting for a response.

“Oh! No, I’m fine, just spacing out, really.” Your voice is a little higher than you’d like it to be, mostly because of being startled out of your daydream.

Muffet looks like she wants to say something else, but decides against it. Instead she just nods and leaves to tend to other customers.

You turn back to your food and take a forkful of the cheesecake, trying to suppress a sigh that escapes you. You can feel the magic in it tingling on your tongue, relaxing and warming your body as it slowly dissolves. You were always amazed by how monster food managed to calm you  _ and _ fill you with energy at the same time. You asked Muffet how it worked once, but she just waved you off with a simple “magic ~”  and a wink. You didn’t bother asking after that.

You take your time finishing the dessert, savouring every bite. As you eat, some of the spiders crawl over to your table and bring you the receipt. You thank them, placing some money on the table, which they take and run off. The amount of spiders had freaked you out at first, but you got used to them pretty soon, often reminding yourself that they are spider _ monsters _ , not real spiders. Besides, they’re rather cute, you have to admit.

After drinking the last of your coffee and checking the time on your phone, you decide to head out. So you exit the cafe, wishing your monster friend the best of luck with her business, and turn in the direction of your studio, which is just a few blocks away.

Just as you approach the building, you slow down for a moment, taking in all the careful work and detail that went into it. You and Tony did a really good job capturing your personality and perfectly translating it into architecture. The exterior is mostly dark, different tones of black and gray taking over the view with white accents outlining the windows and doors, as well as the sign with the name of the studio on it, in white tidy font. Everything’s in order, carefully made not to stand out too much. But as you open the front door, you are greeted with a bright room, full of colorful paintings on the walls, hung in no particular pattern. It’s chaotic, something you wouldn’t expect going in. And that’s exactly why you love it so much.

You turn the “Closed” sign over, ready for another day.

 * * * * * * * * *

“Thanks again, hope you enjoy the painting. It’ll surely brighten up your home!”

You watch your customer, a middle aged woman, smile back at you before leaving. It warms your heart to know that you can make someone’s day better with your work. Makes it more meaningful. You sigh happily and turn to your computer where you’ve been working on some modifications for your website. You hum quietly to yourself as you save the changes and go to check on your social media. Would it be right for someone to accuse you of slacking off on your job? Probably, but despite what some might think, managing your social media  _ is _ a part of your job. Doesn’t mean you can’t get distracted with funny videos of cats and memes, though.

At some point you went to your workshop in the back of the building so you could finish some paintings there. As you work, you hear a jingle of the bell above the front door signaling another customer. Before you can come back out to greet them though, you catch a soft but worried voice speak up.

“My child, I do not think it is such a good idea… Maybe we should come back later?” There’s a small pause which is followed by a what you can only describe as a sigh of displeasure.

“Alright, I guess we can wait for a little while…”

Not wanting to make these people wait long, you hurry back into the main area. The first thing you spot when you return is a small kid in a bright purple sweater jumping up and down near the counter, smiling excitedly and looking at you with brown eyes full of wonder. You blink from the surprise and then smile back.

“Well, hi there! How can I help you?”

The kid’s smile stretches and he(? She? They? They.) start making quick gestures with their hands, which you recognise as sign language.

“Woah, slow down there, buddy! I, um, I don’t really understand what you’re saying there, sorry.” You smile apologetically at the child. Their grin deflates a bit and they turn around to look at someone. As you follow their gaze, you have to hold yourself from outright staring at the beautiful monster woman standing before you, observing the whole exchange with wary dark crimson eyes. Her white fur reflects the light coming from the outside, giving it a subtle glow. She searches your face for a moment and smiles after finding (or not finding, you’re not really sure) what she was looking for.

“Oh, do not worry about it, dear. I will translate. My child was just saying that they find your, um, ‘pictures’ very charming.” She frowns just a tiny bit, and you guess that some rephrasing took place. You chuckle at the kids face, the expression of disapproval confirming your suspicion. It doesn’t stay there long, though, changing back into a friendly grin as they sign something else. You look back up at the woman waiting for the translation.

“They want to know if you could teach them how to draw. You seem to offer lessons, so we assumed..” She trails of and makes a small gesture towards the door, where you have a sign for art courses, watching you carefully.

You look at her like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Oh.. Oh! Yes, I do! I mean I can! Err, give me a second.” The request caught you of guard. People don’t usually ask for lessons, and the ones that do often leave when they run out of time and patience that needs to be put into drawing. You can see the woman trying not to laugh at your misery as you struggle to get yourself back together. She seems to think about something for a second, then her smile stretches.

“Please do not worry about it, dear. You _ goat _ this situation under control” She snickers a bit then looks at you.

You stare at her blankly for a moment, then at the kid, who seems to be shaking in silent laughter, then take in the monster’s appearance once more as gears start turning in your head. Horns, long ears, white fur.. She does look like a goat! As soon as the realisation hits, an unattractive snort escapes you. You quickly turn your head in embarrassment, then, after taking a deep breath to calm yourself, look back at the woman, just to see her smiling brightly at you. Wow, that pun was bad, but it did relax you, the tension in the room disappearing. Well, two can play this game. You huff, thinking of a comeback for a moment then grin mischievously.

“Okay, yeah, you  _ goat _ me there. Let me go get some paperwork be _ fur _ I make a complete fool of myself.” You chuckle at your own, not better of a pun and turn to get the documents, but not before you hear the woman laugh, a truly wonderful sound.

When you return, you catch the surprised look she gives you, then the papers in you hand. As if she just realised the implications of it. The kid on the other hand starts jumping up and down again, their eyes sparkling with what you can describe as pure happiness as they sign something and raise an eyebrow at you.

“They are asking if you really are going to teach them.” The woman softly translates to you.

“I will! If you’re wondering about my reaction, you just caught me off guard, that’s all. You see, not many people actually come here for lessons, so I wasn’t expecting you to ask that.” You look at her sheepishly and hand her the documents. You turn to the kid.

“Hey, buddy, why don’t you go look around while me and your… mom?” You hesitate, glancing back at the woman. She beams at you and nods. You smile and continue, “while me and your mom do some boring paperwork?”

They make a small sound of confirmation before running off to explore around the room. You realise that they didn’t have a chance to do that yet, standing near the counter with their mother the entire time. Speaking of which, you hold out your hand to her and introduce yourself.

“Sorry, I completely forgot my manners for a moment there. I would ask for your name, but I’m afraid you won’t give it up.” Your joke gets her to chuckle and she takes your hand for a handshake. Gods, her paw is soft, the size of it completely covering yours. All too soon she let’s go.

“My name is Toriel, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Wait a second... Toriel… You’ve heard that name before! Isn’t she the Qu-... ! You take in a sharp breath, frozen in shock.

She probably saw the expression on your face, because she started quietly laughing again. You kind of wish you could just fall through the floor right about now, an embarrassed blush appearing on your face as you cover it with your hands and let out a strained whine of frustration.

“Oh dear, hehe, I am so sorry for laughing! It is quite alright if you did not recognise me. In fact, I would be very grateful if you do not mention my status at all.” At the last phrase her voice turns slightly more serious and you get the impression that there's more to it, but you decide not to question her request. Instead you just shrug, not feeling any less awkward and grab a pen from you holder, giving it to her. Concentrating on your work always helped you calm your nerves.

“Sure thing. Anyway, business time. I gotta ask you to fill this out,” you say pointing at the paper, mostly at the section for personal information. As she does that, you answer her silent question. “You see, while I don’t work at school, I  _ am _ a teacher and have the right to give my students a certificate when they complete the courses. Which  _ are _ considered education. But I need their personal info to do that, and for my own record. Now, as for the schedule, I usually give lessons on fridays and saturdays, but since I don’t have any other students at the moment, you can choose the days. I’m free in the evenings, monday to friday, and there should be two lessons per week.”

Toriel finishes filling out the paper, handing it to you with an impressed look. You take it and read through the information as she thinks about how to arrange the lessons. Out of the corner of your eye you notice Frisk (which you learnt was their name, both from the paper and from recognising them as the Ambassador of monsters) standing near the only book stand in the room, examining the covers of the books. As if they can feel your stare on them, they turn to you with a question in their eyes.

“Ah, these are the books that have my drawings in them! They all are pretty interesting, if I do say so myself. I can recommend you some of my favourites if you want!” They nod excitedly and you glance at Toriel to see if she’s okay with it. She just looks at Frisk with a fond smile, so you take that as your permission and walk up to the kid.

You spend the next fifteen minutes explaining what some of your top favourite books are about, with Frisk absorbing every bit of information. They end up choosing an adventure book about the protagonist getting lost in the woods and trying to find a way home, making friends in the process. You suppose they can relate to the story.

When you return you notice that Toriel’d put the days she chose for the lessons in the corner of the information page. Huh, so it's mondays and fridays. You can work with that. You take the paperwork and put it in your top drawer for now.

Frisk puts the book on the counter grinning ear to ear. But since they had to jump to reach it, their legs are now dangling uselessly in the air above the floor, causing Toriel to chuckle wholeheartedly at their antics. She pays for the book and, after you agree on the time for the first lesson, they leave. When you look at the clock you are surprised to see that it’s almost closing time. You didn’t have many customers today, but honestly? You can’t bring yourself to be even slightly disappointed at the fact.

You close up the studio and head home, the smile not leaving you face the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a feeling that Toriel would be pretty cautious of human strangers, don't you think? Also, adorable Frisk ftw!


End file.
